Fascinating Behind The Scenes Look At The Work Of A Forensic Photographer

There’s a science to forensic photography that goes much deeper than comprehending how to operate a camera. As Nick Marsh explains in the enthralling short documentary, The Forensic Photographer, these professionals must understand and use light in ways which are so technical it’s almost mind bending.

In order to capture shots of barely visible fingerprints, blood stains, or, say marks on a wall that have been painted over to cover up a crime, forensic photographers need to go beyond the typical powers of studio lighting.

“When you go to a crime scene you’re composing that image in your mind when you’re stepping in that door, when you’re looking at what you’ve got to assess, and what you’ve got to see. You’re trying to get that into a compact form so you can get across to the jury what is there with the minimum number of photographs. For us, it’s a thought process as much as a physical hands on process and that’s why the camera in most types of photography that we undertake is irrelevant. It’s about the light and about understanding where that light is going and what we need to see within that image.”

Take a few minutes to watch the documentary and enjoy the behind the scenes look into a forensic photographer’s studio.